brine
by Promestein
Summary: Tatsuta patches up Tenryuu's wounds.


"Stop whining and sit still, Tenryuu, you're going to open your wounds."

"Stop fucking around with my - ow, ow, watch it!" Tenryuu mutters, flinching away from the cloth her partner was holding. "Jeez, I'm fine. It's not even that bad."

Tatsuta snorts in amusement. "It's not that bad because I'm fixing it and I've been fixing your wounds forever." She leans forwards and dabs the wipe on Tenryuu's cheek again, wiping away all the blood. "Come on, please just sit still," she continues, turning away for a moment to throw away the bloody cloth. She turns back to face Tenryuu, pressing a small bandage to the wound on her cheek. "That one doesn't need to be stitched. The others, though..." Tatsuta clicks her tongue and looks at Tenryuu expectantly. Tenryuu sighs and pulls up her torn, bloody sleeve, revealing a painfully long cut that stretched from her elbow to her wrist. "Tenryuu..."

"It's FINE." Tenryuu snaps, dragging her nails across her leg and shifting uncomfortably. Tatsuta just sighs, reaching behind her for another cloth. She wipes away the blood, bits of fabric and scraps of metal, before setting the cloth down and doing the same with a cotton swab, covered in disinfectant. Tenryuu winces, clenching her fist, as Tatsuta cleans it again, pain shooting through her arm. "Ow."

"You wouldn't be in this situation if you were careful," Tatsuta chides her, before setting the swab aside and pulling out a needle and thread. "Please hold still for this part. I don't think you'd want me to fuck this up." Tenryuu rolls her eyes and huffs dramatically, but she cooperates. She stays as still as she can manage as Tatsuta stitches the wound shut. It doesn't take all that long, but the feeling of a needle inside her arm still hurts. When she's done, Tatsuta pats her shoulder gently. "There."

Tenryuu takes a deep breath, rubbing her injured wrist gingerly. "Thanks," she grumbles, before glancing over at Tatsuta, who was already preparing another swab. They're both silent for a moment, before Tenryuu clears her throat, awkwardly. "So, uh. Are you okay?"

"Yes, I was already checked out. Of course, you skipped over that part, didn't you?" Tatsuta shoots a glare at her, and Tenryuu rolls her eyes.

"Because I'm fine - "

Tatsuta cuts her off sharply. "Just lie down. I need to clean the wound on your stomach." Taken aback, Tenryuu hesitates, before sighing and lying down. Tatsuta pushes up the fabric of her shirt softly, revealing another wound on the side of her stomach. She doesn't react to this one, really - she just wipes it down with a wet cloth, and then with a disinfectant-coated swab, and then slowly, quietly stitches it shut. "... You really do need to be more careful, Tenryuu. I'd really rather you stayed alive and safe, you know." Her voice is uncharacteristically quiet, and she looks over at Tenryuu.

Tenryuu doesn't say anything, at first, before sighing. "Look, I just - I know - I don't really intend to do it, it just - it just happens..." The cruiser scratches at her neck and pushes her shirt back down over the wound. "Ugh, I - I'm sorry." She mumbles, sitting straight.

Her partner sighs. "Yeah. I know. Still." Tenryuu leans forward and wraps her arms around Tatsuta, wincing a bit when the fabric of her own shirt brushes over a wound again, but ignoring it. Tatsuta hugs her back. "I just wouldn't want to lose my lovely Tenryuu," she says, voice back to normal. "She's much too valuable to replace, after all. I don't know what I'd do without her."

"Mm. Likewise, you know."

Tatsuta snorts, again. "As if I'm going anywhere. Look at me. Not a scratch on me. You, on the other hand..." Tatsuta's left hand trails up her side to cup her face, brushing away the lock of hair that obscured her eyepatch. And her right trails up her side, pausing in various locations where Tenryuu knows there's scars. "... You have no lack of them. And while I'm certainly not complaining about these ones, I'd rather you didn't get any more." Tatsuta leans forward slightly, pressing a small kiss to Tenryuu's cheek, underneath her injured eye.

Tenryuu doesn't say anything, at first, simply breathing and enjoying the sensation of having Tatsuta so close. "Well, as long as you continue to be unharmed, I'll be happy."

"I will. Don't you worry about me." Tatsuta slides the hand that was on her cheek upwards, pushing her eyepatch up onto her forehead, exposing Tenryuu's missing eye. The long scars were jagged and harsh, cutting across her eyebrow, the longest reaching nearly all the way to her chin. The eyelid was much more badly damaged than the rest of the eye - bits of it were completely missing, exposing the empty socket. It flutters a bit, and Tenryuu squirms, but Tatsuta presses a small, soft kiss to her eye, both hands sliding up to cup her head in her hands.

The gesture causes a small blush to spread across Tenryuu's cheeks, and she huffs, but doesn't say anything. Tatsuta leaves the eyepatch there before wrapping her arms around Tenryuu's shoulders and moving over, onto her lap. The sudden, unexpected weight catches Tenryuu off guard, and her blush grows. Giggling, Tatsuta pokes her cheek. "What's wrong? Embarrassed?"

"Fuck off," Tenryuu mutters, kissing Tatsuta's forehead. "And I'm fine."

"Good." Tatsuta nuzzles into her neck, grinning widely. "Carry me to bed. I'm tired."

"You're tired? Oh, excuse me, princess. I forgot how badly wounded you were during the battle. I'll do it right away." Tenryuu lifts her up, promptly heaving her over her shoulder. Tatsuta squeaks in surprise, and Tenryuu grins. "Oh, what's wrong?" Tatsuta mumbles something incomprehensible, and her girlfriend carries her over to the bed, setting her down gently before dropping down beside her, pulling off her eyepatch and undoing her tie. Sleeping with them on always felt weird. She tosses them onto the nightstand, and Tatsuta snuggles up to her, smiling.

"Nighty night, Tenryuu."

"It's mid afternoon."

"Whatever," Tatsuta shrugs, pushing herself up to kiss Tenryuu, this time on the lips, before dropping back down. "Just go to sleep."


End file.
